Conservative View--Allow Access to Ballots

     As the Presidential election approaches, it looks like America will have the choice of Obama vs. Romney (aka  Obama lite).  Across the country, Republican and Democratic candidates will fill ballots in hopes of a "coattails" victory.  America will hear the same tired ideas again and again.  It doesn't have to be this way.

     A major way that Democrats and Republicans use to maintain power is government printed ballots.  There was a time when ballots were not printed.  Voters had to either write the names of candidates on ballots or use ballots printed by various political organizations.  At that time, as little as 58% of incumbents were re-elected according to the Ballot Access News .  In modern times, usually more than 85% are re-elected.  Incumbents use restrictions of access to government printed ballots to control competition.   This leads to the same ideas from the same candidates, over and over and over again.

     What if we didn't have ballot restrictions?  What if any person qualified to hold an office could be on the ballot for that office by following a simple procedure?  That seems to be fairer and better for America than having candidates swear loyalty to the Democratic or Republican Party before they can run for office.  Won't the ballot be confusing if there are too many candidates?  Data from other countries with less restrictive ballot laws show that there are usually only five or six people on the ballot.  I think that is far better that the United States, where Republican or Democratic candidates often run unopposed.

     Doesn't a person need the backing of a Party to win?  It is easier to win an election if you have an organization like a political party backing you.  However, there are at least three alternative parties that would be ready to go if their candidates could easily appear on government ballots.  The Libertarian Party has more than 250,000 registered members and over 300 elected officials (mostly in non-partisan office) nationwide.  The Green Party is an international movement that is good at attracting high profile (Ralph Nader) candidates.  The Constitution/American Independent Party(California) has more than 400,000 registered members.  Any of these parties could support viable candidates if they could get them on the ballot.  As a Conscious Conservative, I believe this probably will not happen soon.  Democrats and Republicans are afraid of the competition.

Paul Campaign Calls Etch a Sketch Game

     The Ron Paul campaign released a new advertisement that scolds the media and other Republican candidates for talking so much about the Etch a Sketch comment when there are serious issues to discuss.  Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney aide, used the example of an Etch a Sketch toy when referring to the difference between a primary election campaign and a general election campaign.  The press and Romney opponents jumped on the statement, trying to make it a campaign issue.  Ron Paul's  new advertisement asks if people are "tired of the games."

  

  The Paul advertisement talks about a "$15 Trillion Debt," "12 Million Americans Unemployed," and "A Country At War," as the issues candidates should be addressing.  As you can read in an earlier post, I see the Etch a Sketch issue as a Dog and Pony Show that has come to the forefront because the press and the candidates are afraid to discuss the real issues.  Ron Paul calls for discussion of "A Serious Plan To Restore America Now."  As a Conscious Conservative, I couldn't agree with him more.

Ron Paul Says NO to Secret Service

     Ron Paul told Jay Leno this week that he does not want Secret Service protection.  He stated that he sees such protection as a form of "welfare" and that candidates should provide their own protection.
     As a Conscious Conservative, I find this to be a tricky issue.  I applaud Dr. Paul for protecting himself and not spending taxpayer money.  I also realize that there are a lot of dangerous people in the world and would hate for something to happen to any of the candidates.

John Edwards Campaign Highlights Problem With Public Funding

     John Edwards' presidential campaign has been asked to pay back over $2 million that was given to it by the Federal Elections Commission.  Does the now four year-old campaign even have any money left?  John Edwards' situation shows a huge problem with public financing of campaigns.  Take the Edwards' problem.  Add the fact that those in power control who gets public funding.  Throw in a little bit of campaign finance laws like McCain-Feingold.  Now you have a poison that kills democracy and makes sure that incumbents and/or their associates stay in power.

     In the case of John Edwards, if he wants to spend private donations for hair cuts or mistresses, it's nobody's business but his and his donors.  If Edwards misuses public money as part of the campaign process, it becomes a problem for everyone.  

     People say that private companies use campaign funds to "buy" politicians.  Don't public funds do the same?  I think that I would rather have a candidate that was "bought" by General Electric than by the Republican and Democratic national committees.  

     Campaign finance reform is set up by Republicans and Democrats to make sure that people of whom they don't approve cannot run realistic campaigns.  The person down the street cannot use their own money, or that of friends and neighbors to start a political party or run for office.  The incumbent can spend $billions of  OUR money to put their name on buildings, airports and pork projects.  They also use OUR money to send us annoying letters and post cards that tell us what a wonderful job they are doing.  Public funding of campaigns and campaign finance reform destroy representative government as we know it.

        The presidential campaign to receive federal matching funds in 2012 was the campaign of Buddy Roemer for President.  According to the Buddy Roemer web site, he is a long shot candidate for the Republican nomination who has not participated in any debates or done any campaigning.  In February, Buddy received his first installment of $100,000.  As a Conscious Conservative, I believe that is a waste of taxpayers money.    

Is Rick Santorum As Conservative As He Seems?

  I rated Rick Santorum on the Conscious Conservative Scale (see earlier posts).  It appears that Mr. Santorum scores:

55 points -- Moderate

Rick appears to favor a free labor force and ending the Estate Tax.  He seems to favor a Progressive Income Tax and the Federal Reserve.  Santorum has spoken against the infamous Kelo decision.  However, Rick Santorum favors the Patriot Act, waffles on the issue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and supports all sorts of  government meddling in personal issues.  Rick Santorum is more conservative than Mitt Romney and slightly more conservative than Newt Gingrich, but he can't really be called A Conscious Conservative.

Is Mitt Romney A Conservative?

  I rated Mitt Romney on the Conscious Conservative Scale (see earlier posts).  It appears that Mitt Romney scores:

35 points -- Moderate

Mitt appears to favor a free labor force and ending the Estate Tax.  However, he just wants to tinker with the Income Tax and the Federal Reserve.  Romney said in New Hampshire that eminent domain is fine for "public purposes."  As a business person, he appears to be in favor of a Free Market and of little interference in the relationship between business and labor.  However, Mitt Romney favors the Patriot Act and supports all sorts of  government meddling in housing and personal issues.  He's more conservative than Obama, but less than Gingrich and he really can't be called A Conscious Conservative.

Is Senator-elect Marco Rubio a Conscious Conservative?

 I have been examining if the new "Tea Party" supported candidates will make a Conscience Conservative difference once they enter office.  I looked first at Nikki Haley, Governor-elect of South Carolina, and determined that she appears as much a Unconscious Conservative or Liberal as she does a Conscious Conservative.  Then I examined Wisconsin's Senator-elect, Ron Johnson and found that he appears to be a Conscious Conservative with some unconscious conservative leanings

I now look at Florida's Senator-elect, Marco Rubio to see how he stacks up as a Conscious Conservative.



Stance:

Reducing Federal Government/Cutting Spending                Conscious Conservative

Balanced Budget Amendment                                           Unconscious Conservative

Repeal Government Health Care                                       Conscious Conservative

Strong Foreign Intervention/Support Israel                          Unconscious Conservative

Modify Federal Education Mandates                                 Unconscious Conservative

Marco Rubio appears to be an Unconscious Conservative with some Conscious Conservative leanings.  Depending on which alliances he has in the Senate, he may help make a Conscious Conservative difference.

Is Senator-elect Ron Johnson a Conscious Conservative?

 I have been examining if the new "Tea Party" supported candidates will make a Conscience Conservative difference once they enter office.  I looked first at Nikki Haley, Governor-elect of South Carolina, and determined that she appears as much a Unconscious Conservative or Liberal as she does a Conscious Conservative.

I now look at Wisconsin's Senator-elect, Ron Johnson to see how he stacks up as a Conscious Conservative.

Stance:

Reducing Taxes/Cutting Spending                                       Conscious Conservative

Repeal Government Health Care                                        Conscious Conservative

Increase Domestic Energy Production                                Unconscious Conservative

Reduce Federal Education Mandates                                 Unconscious Conservative

Supporting Free Trade in Agriculture                                  Conscious Conservative

Ron Johnson appears to be a Conscious Conservative with some unconscious conservative leanings.  If he can make alliances in the Senate, he may make a Conscious Conservative difference.

Time for A Change? Do Tea Party Politics Make A Difference

Much has been made about "Tea Party" candidates winning in the recent election.  I have more questions than answers when I ponder whether or not these candidates can move the government in a Conscious Conservative direction.  Is the system so broken that these people couldn't change it if they wanted?  Are these newly elected persons incredibly outnumbered?  Will candidates stay true to their values once in office?  There are many more questions.  I think there is one key question.  Are the "Tea Party" newly elected officials conservative and are they Conscious Conservatives?  I will examine this question in my next few posts by examining the political stances that these people made during the election.

I will start with Nikki Haley, Governor-Elect of South Carolina

Stated Stances (from her web site)

Cap Government Spending                                            Conscious Conservative

Term Limits                                                                   Liberal/Socialist

Tough Immigration Laws                                               Unconscious Conservative

Equalize Education Funding                                           Liberal/Socialist

Expand Charter Schools                                                Unconscious Conservative

Protect 2nd Amendment Rights                                     Conscious Conservative

As you can see, Nikki Haley appears to be an Unconscious Conservative with as many liberal leanings as Conscious Conservative positions.  Do you think that she will make a difference in politics as usual?